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  • MLambyMLamby Senior Member

    CoopSwim said:
    Still very much a rookie to open water swimming. Joined South End Rowing Club last August, and have become more and more enamored with the sport. It's about my 6th year swimming, after wearing out my hip and needing something to replace running. I ended up turning to pool competition, and out of necessity,

    started doing more open water, just to be able to have time to swim, and ended up swimming through the winter without a wetsuit. I started doing more club swims, mostly short 1-2 mile in distance, but just did my first near 4 mile swim. To my surprise, it was very achievable and the feeling of accomplishment of covering that distance was pretty amazing. Looking forward to doing longer swims, learning how to train for them, how to manage feeds, and all the crazy stuff one needs to do them.

    These were all my concerns too. Getting a person, or people who really support you and are willing to spend hours and hours next to you in a canoe or kayak can be difficult. Swimming also takes far longer than going for a run or bike. WHERE to swim...ugh.. The last time I swam Lake Geneva (Wisconsin), my daughter and I had to take off at four in the morning so we wouldn't get run over by yachts. :) I just leaned in to my own training routine rather than trying to mirror what other people do. We are all different. I ended up putting in around 500 miles in the pool, but was only able to manage three major outdoor training swims prior to Key West, and I did just fine. Finding the right feeding type, amount, and rhythm is also key. I ended up doing a concoction of half water, half Gatorade, and a packet of Clif gel and SiS gel (all mixed together) every forty minutes. Was told that was weird, but it worked for me. When I tried adding some applesauce for extra sustenance during the race because I was told I needed some solids....I threw it up immediately. You will find your jam. That's a big part of the fun. Finding trunks that don't chafe, goggles that fit your face, etc. All part of the fun. I WOULD highly recommend getting a water proof iPod. I would have gone insane without mine. All the best!

  • Hi All
    Lee Portingale here.
    Competed as a pool racer when younger and my claim to fame is retiring from national racing after 10 years before qualifying times retired me.
    Working as a swimming coach now and my first introduction to marathon swimming was when coaching, one of my master swimmers wanted and did the whole session one arm crawl, when asked why was told during one swim one of my arms stopped working so now and then I like to do sessions single arm just I case it happens again.
    What can I say I was sold on the whole idea and hasn't looked back.
    Have done a couple of big swims the hardest being Loch Lomand Scotland a cold at night 21 and a 1/2 miles did I say cold.
    Enjoying reading and smiling with your posts.
    Leep

    SolorlmDoc2dockIronMike
  • StuartStuart Guildford, UKMember

    Hi All. Am in my first year of OWS. Learnt to swim last year. Pace currently 1.50/100 and improving fairly quickly. Joined to see what I could learn as currently training solo with no team to nick ideas off. Target for this year is 8km of Coniston Water in the UK's Lake District. Have a 5k race this Sunday, but already averaged 1.50 pace over 7200m about 2 weeks ago. Already entered a 9km event as a warm up for next year. Have a weird interest in swimming the length of Loch Ness in Scotland.

    rlmMLambySoloflystormsIronMikeFlowSwimmersBridgetAnitaLynn
  • I'm joining this forum because I'm transitioning from pool swimming to ow swimming. I've been on a 3 year hiatus from when I used to swim 2 hours a day. Now I live by the ocean and want to take advantage of all this water in my backyard. My family and I are looking to do a triathlon relay race in March with me as the swimmer, and I think it may be a fun challenge to train for swimming marathons as well. I want to be part of a community to help me learn as I get accustomed to this new experience. I also have run into a specific issue, which I am going to search around and see if it's already been addressed before posting a question to the group.

    MLambyevmoSolorlmIronMikeBridget
  • Ramous62Ramous62 londonMember

    Start OW swimming last year with the aim of swimming 10km races. This year I will be swimming 4 x 10km races 2 x 5km races and several 3km. I join to hear other swimmers stories.

    SolorlmMLambyJustSwimIronMikeKatieBunBridget
  • ruthruth New Jersey, USAMember

    Hi again! I'm profoundly annoyed because it appears that the Swim for the Potomac race I'd signed up for has been cancelled, and has been helpfully turned into a "timed practice" the following weekend. :/

    I had been training towards a 10k in September, but I've been thwarted (for the second time--I'd also been hoping to do the Charles Bender swim but I have work conflicts that day).

    Grumble grumble.

  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    @John_Kenny is my coach! He's awesome! Energy level amazing! If you're living in or traveling through Philly, check out his workouts and races!

    Spacemanspiff said:

    John_Kenny said:
    I've been in the sport for quite a while, but new to the forum. I've been directing a lot more events than I compete in lately. Check out our events and training here:
    www.frenchcreekracing.com

    Hey @John_kenny we met several years ago when you were passing through Dallas and crashed our noon masters workout. Welcome.

  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    Which 10k are you doing? I'm signed up for Spuyten Duyvil in NY. Just finished Great South Bay, which is a swim I love in itself but also as also training swim, last yr for the Bender swim, this year for SD (doing Bender swim as a relay this yr).

    Maybe do River Day.... check out @John_Kenny 's post under Philly Area Open Water ....If you do all 3 races, it's ~4.5 miles, so not as long as the Bender swim, but a nice lot of distance.

    ruth said:
    Hi again! I'm profoundly annoyed because it appears that the Swim for the Potomac race I'd signed up for has been cancelled, and has been helpfully turned into a "timed practice" the following weekend. :/

    I had been training towards a 10k in September, but I've been thwarted (for the second time--I'd also been hoping to do the Charles Bender swim but I have work conflicts that day).

    Grumble grumble.

    Bridget
  • ruthruth New Jersey, USAMember

    I am doing Spuyten Duyvil and the River Day (all three races). I might try to do the Watkins Glen race that day (the same day as the now-cancelled Potomac swim), but I've got some trepidation about skipping all the way to 10 miles....

    dpm50SoloBridget
  • cmh1151cmh1151 Raleigh, North CarolinaMember

    Hi Everyone! So glad to have found this forum. I have done some triathlons and am trying to switch over to OW swimming. I like the idea of longer OW swims as my main athletic goals and of the three sports resonated with my swim friends the most:

    I swam briefly as a young child and loved it but quit for family reasons..long story :-/ I started swimming with a local masters group as an adult and began focusing more on technique and building endurance. I did a 1.7 mile OW swim off the coast of Wrightsville Beach, NC in May--Stoked to go Out--- and probably made every mistake possible with respect to swimming in rough OW conditions. Got out about 50 M from the finish and walked parallel to the beach to finish due to getting sick while trying to swim. Have my first 3 mile/5K swim this Saturday--Racin, the Basin' and hopefully the waters will be calmer.

    Look forward to learning more about this sport. Thanks for reading! :-* ;;)

    evmorlmMLambySolodpm50
  • RoyWRoyW Member

    Hi all,

    Just joined. Distance swimmer, distance sailor, vegan, Bitcoin fan, and, and , and...
    I run a little airbnb these days - in case any of you swing by this neck of the woods: https://breta.weebly.com/

    Great hobby/addiction we all share!

    Solorlmdpm50
  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    So I'll see you at River Day! I entered all 3 swims, but hoping upper back behaves. I've been OK during master's practice and Great South Bay, but back remains a little irritated. Maybe a pre-swim chiro visit is in order.

    I have as a goal to do a 10 mile swim, but Watkins Glen is pricier than my current swim budget allows. Does look like a swim to put on my list as a possibility, maybe in a year or so.

    ruth said:
    I am doing Spuyten Duyvil and the River Day (all three races). I might try to do the Watkins Glen race that day (the same day as the now-cancelled Potomac swim), but I've got some trepidation about skipping all the way to 10 miles....

    Bridgetruth
  • TessTess Lansing, MichiganMember

    Hi everyone! As seems to be quite common, I’m a long time lurker who finally decided it was about time I make an account to introduce myself and say thank you to everyone who posts regularly - I’m so grateful for all of the insight this forum has offered me over the past couple years and appreciative of everyone who takes the time to share their experiences and knowledge. Despite swimming for most of my life and having a core friend group composed almost entirely of my d3 college teammates, I don’t know many seasoned open water folks, and this forum has been an invaluable resource whenever I have questions specific to open water stuff – so thank you for that!

    Another big reason I decided to finally join/post is that I’m starting to look toward next year and want to figure out which big race might be a good next step for me. I have a couple potential swims on my radar (Kingdom and SCAR in particular), but I’m really just looking for a race that will challenge me, is at least 15 miles long, and takes place somewhere in the U.S. between April and August. If anyone has any recs for swims that fit this criteria or any feedback/insight on Kingdom or SCAR (the whole “application” part of that one is a little intimidating to me), I’m all ears!

    It’s also probably worth mentioning that I’m a Michigan native, which means 1). I’ve done mostly fresh water swims in the past (I know, I know – I need to get used to saltwater eventually!) and 2). I unfortunately don’t get much open water practice in the winter months. So I’m definitely interested in any recs for good starter saltwater swims and any training tips/resources for open water swimmers who live in cold climates and rely heavily on indoor (and unfortunately short course) training all winter.

    Overall, I’m just really looking forward to getting to know some of you (beyond just recognizing names from results sheets), and hope that eventually I’ll have some valuable knowledge/experience to bring to the table as well!

    SoloswimfreeordiePaigeKieding
  • G'day I'm from the Sunshine Coast Australia. I'm about to swim solo 111km in the ocean over 10 days. Reaching out to anyone who has done back to back swims before. I've never done anything like this before (consecutive days) and am interested in anyone's experiences of similar adventures. Thanks bjn

  • CoopSwim said:
    ....swam all winter without a wetsuit....

    Dude serious? I've done it here (Sunshine Coast Aus) so far this winter but you're in seriously cold territory!

  • JSwimJSwim western Maryland, USSenior Member

    Surfyn said:
    I'm about to swim solo 111km in the ocean over 10 days. Reaching out to anyone who has done back to back swims before. I've never done anything like this before (consecutive days)

    8 Bridges (120 miles in 7 stages over 8 days) maintains a blog that swimmers contribute to as they wish.

    SCAR (~40 miles in 4 stages over 4 days) has a blog link as well.

    You can use those event names to find other info (here and on the web in general).

    It would be helpful to know what marathon swimming experience you have and how (and how long) you've been training. As someone else here said (can't find it quickly, or I'd link) you can't start an ultra distance multi-day swimming "adventure" thinking you'll start "gently" and get trained up as you go. That might work for cycling and running, but not for swimming.

    MLamby

    Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. --Neale Donald Walsch

  • Tess said:

    Another big reason I decided to finally join/post is that I’m starting to look toward next year and want to figure out which big race might be a good next step for me. I have a couple potential swims on my radar (Kingdom and SCAR in particular), but I’m really just looking for a race that will challenge me, is at least 15 miles long, and takes place somewhere in the U.S. between April and August. If anyone has any recs for swims that fit this criteria or any feedback/insight on Kingdom or SCAR (the whole “application” part of that one is a little intimidating to me), I’m all ears!

    It’s also probably worth mentioning that I’m a Michigan native, which means 1). I’ve done mostly fresh water swims in the past (I know, I know – I need to get used to saltwater eventually!) and 2). I unfortunately don’t get much open water practice in the winter months. So I’m definitely interested in any recs for good starter saltwater swims and any training tips/resources for open water swimmers who live in cold climates and rely heavily on indoor (and unfortunately short course) training all winter.

    Overall, I’m just really looking forward to getting to know some of you (beyond just recognizing names from results sheets), and hope that eventually I’ll have some valuable knowledge/experience to bring to the table as well!

    Hi Tess, I'm also fairly new to the longer distance swims although I have been swimming open water (in fresh and salt) for a very long time. A pitch for New England.... Based on my (limited) experience to date I'd recommend the Kingdom swim as a starter in the ultra-marathon world. You have both the 25k border buster and the somewhat more modest 10m (and less) options. The venue is beautiful and very suitable for a nice weekend swim vacation trip. It's a very well established event where you will meet many very experienced marathon swimmers. The temperatures (I believe) are typically in the 70 range (subject to the usual unpredictability). SCAR strikes me as another major step up from Kingdom. I enormously enjoyed the 10mile Kingdom swim when I did it a couple of years ago, and was fortunate to enjoy perfect conditions on that day. As far as getting into salt water is concerned, the Boston Light Swim is know somewhat as a "gateway" swim for those aspiring to move up to longer ocean swims. Again a good crowd of experienced open water swimmers and a nice venue for a long weekend/vacation trip. I will be swimming BLS for the first time this year. Both swims have lots of support for arranging logistics. My personal plan for getting used to colder conditions began this year with wetsuit addiction recovery therapy. I plan to swim into the Fall as late as I can following the temperatures down, and then to restart next Spring as early as I can. Good luck and have fun with your journey into the ultra-endurance swim world. I hope our paths may cross at some future event.

    evmoMpol
  • ArgentArgent UtrechtMember

    I'm from the Netherlands. I started swimming about 3,5 years ago when I participated in a city swim. Last year I have really picked up the pace in training. I will be swimming from Den Helder to Texel upcoming weekend (mainland to island in Wadden Sea) which is a 4km swim. Furthest I swam so far in one stretch is 5,5 km.

    I hope to do an IJsselmeer crossing in the upcoming years (22km) and aiming to do an English Channel within 5 years. In the last year I really became addicted to swimming and I cannot phantom my life without it anymore. I wish I had discovered it earlier.

    rlmDavidZakSoloMLambyevmothelittlemerwookiePasquale
  • BogdanZBogdanZ Bucharest, RomaniaSenior Member

    Hi @Argent . Welcome to the forum. I am also interested in IJsselmeer, hopefully next year.
    And I am glad to see more Europeans joining :), maybe this way some "local" and closer events would become more easily to find.

    Argent
  • CarlyCarly Asheville, NC Member

    I'm Carly - I feel like my reason for joining is kind of convoluted... but I was a swimmer growing up and then transitioned to running long distance. I always used swimming as my cross training, but was in an out of the pool in 30-45 minutes. One day a friend suggested we go out and hit the open water ---- and my whole world opened up! Then I decided to switch things up... I thought if I could run really far, why couldn't I try my hand at endurance swimming? So here I am. I have no accolades to my name in this field, but I certainly hope to soon. Thank you guys for accepting me! :)

    evmoSolorlmBogdanZMpolgrappledunkthelittlemerwookieIronMikevimonheim
  • ruth said:
    Hi again! I'm profoundly annoyed because it appears that the Swim for the Potomac race I'd signed up for has been cancelled, and has been helpfully turned into a "timed practice" the following weekend. :/

    I had been training towards a 10k in September

    Does that mean you're not going to do the 10k on Sept 30th? It's still a 10k.... it's not really a practice, but a time trial. I think I'll be doing it, as long as my work schedule allows. Really, I just think it means you don't get a t shirt.

  • ruthruth New Jersey, USAMember

    @AnitaLynn, no probably not. I don't live very close (New Jersey) and I'd planned on doing the event with my SIL, who is a triathlete (and who lives local to that race). She was going to do a shorter distance (2.5k?) and I was going to do the 10k. Now the races aren't on the same day (problem 1), and I don't necessarily feel like driving 4 hours for a practice (problem 2).

    Also, to be frank, I thought that the email announcing that the event had changed was pretty crappy and opaque (it took me several readings of it to figure out that the race I was doing was in fact cancelled), and I don't really appreciate that there wasn't an easy option to just get a refund--though, in all fairness, I did get one when I asked. Canceling a $60 event and letting me sign up for 2 $45 events is nice, I guess, but not when they're 4 hours away. If I'm going to drive 4 hours to go to a race, I want it to be a race, even if there's not a substantial difference between a race and a time trial. ::shrug::

    I am doing the Lake George 10k August 18, though.

    IronMike
  • vimonheimvimonheim Cincinnati, OHMember

    Hey all!
    Excited be apart of the forum! Swimming all my life and have fallen in love with OW in the last few years. I think I’ve found my niche. Have some big goals, but currently training for Catalina Channel swim next summer! Woohoo! Can’t wait to swim in the dark :D

    I really enjoy a good cup of coffee ~O)

    thelittlemerwookierlmSoloswimfreeordieJSwimJaimieevmoCopelj26
  • Hi! Thanks for having me! I've been lurking for a few months and I've already learned so much.

    About me:
    I swam competitively through high school, but abandoned the pool for military service and college. Fast forward a decade and I came back to swimming while training for a triathlon with a friend, and trying to lose some weight.

    I did a few triathlons (clydesdale division - I'm a big guy), and realized my favorite part of training and racing was swimming.

    So I signed up for an open water 1.2 mile swim. I was hooked. The following year I did a 5K. Now, I'm going to attempt a 10K race in two weeks!

    I'm not fast - I average about 3K/hour in flat OW, but I love to swim and I'm looking forward to being a marathon swimmer, and what ever comes next.

    Thanks again and I look forward to getting to know you all a bit more!

    swimfreeordieJSwimJaimierlmIronMikeDoc2dockflystormsSoloevmoCopelj26vimonheimMLamby
  • josbournejosbourne MichiganMember

    Hi, I'm new here. I did my first 10k two weekends ago and loved it. I have always loved swimming, but only recently discovered marathon swimming. I am hoping to learn from all the wisdom and experience here.

    nkUnleashedJaimierlmSoloevmoCopelj26
  • flystormsflystorms Memphis, TNSenior Member

    10K sure seems to be the gateway "drug" to this sport, doesn't it?

    WElcome to you two new folks!

    MLamby
  • I’m another lurker for the past several months! Big thanks to the community here for all the advice.
    I’ve been spearfishing and ocean swimming in NZ for several years but now live in Michigan and have converted to ‘unsalted’ open water swimming for the time being.

    The ocean races in NZ were mostly 3-5kms, moving to Michigan I swam in the Big Shoulders event for the last few years in Chicago.

    Then over a few beers with a friend last year we cooked up a plan to swim to the next town in Lake Michigan, I convinced him it was only 5 miles and off we went with two more friends and a few boats. Turns out that Holland to Saugatuck, according to the GPS, is 7.4miles when we finished over 3.5 hours later. Luckily he saw the funny side of my distance ‘guestimate’ And we’re still friends.

    This summer I fancied pushing myself a wee bit further, my friend wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice but did offer to pilot the safety boat for me. On Sept 4th I swam 20.9 miles in Lake Michigan from Holland to Grand Haven in 10 hours and 5 mins and raised over $6k for a local breast cancer non-profit in honor of my mum who is a breast cancer survivor.

    Here’s a local news story with a few nice shots of Lake Michigan on a good day: https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/holland-man-successfully-swims-20-miles-for-breast-cancer/69-590960931

    Again, thanks to all here who give up their time and knowledge to help and develop this amazingly addictive and hypnotic sport, without the advice on training, feeding plans, GPS (my mum tracked me on TrackRS!) and safety I wouldn’t have completed my big swim this summer.

    evmoJustSwimflystormsrlmSoloKate_AlexanderCopelj26curlyIronMikethelittlemerwookieCamille
  • Ive enjoyed all of the info found on this site. Im new-ish to marathon swimming and have appreciated the advice Ive found. My backing is in ultra running (several completions from 50-100 miles) but I have always enjoyed long distance, open water swimming. I have completed many 5-10 mile lake swims (with a support kayak) with little "true" swim training. I've decide to get a little more "serious" with swimming and am eyeing some races for the 2019 season.

    Thanks for all of the advice

    evmothelittlemerwookieSolorlmIronMike
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    A warm welcome to all the new Forum members who joined in October:

    @flavio_toi, @yachtsew, @Susan8577, @DriQ, @Faisal, @jefferysmith931, @Zpayne_23, @steephill, @JaneC, @Rosalind, @mikelwalton34, @KFlippin, @GinaYukich, @Ann, @Jolene, @Malcolm, @Kari33, @Mark

    Please introduce yourselves!

    thelittlemerwookieCopelj26rlmIronMike
  • sarahcassidysarahcassidy Las Vegas, NVMember
    edited November 2018

    Hi, I'm Sarah from Las Vegas, Nevada. I've been a swimmer (pool and open water) for years with a few breaks here and there but recently became serious about marathon swims. I swim in pools and at Lake Mead as often as I can. I did a 12-mile 3-woman relay swim across the width of Lake Tahoe this summer and want to do relay swims of Catalina Channel and the English Channel next before attempting solo swims. I don't know many open water swimmers and would appreciate tips and advice on finding fellow open water swimmers also interested in doing relay swims. How do I find relay swimmers?

    Solothelittlemerwookie
  • Hi there from sunny Ohio. I’ve swam the pool circuit through school, took a break, then found myself in the midst of endurance tri’s. Swimming has always been my passion. Two years ago I did the 12.5 mi swim around key west. My family travels with with me to support the crazy endeavors ( lucky - i am really luck ). I live on a lake so I am fortunate to have built in training grounds as well.

    thelittlemerwookierlmSoloflystormskipariz
  • I'm Pete. I've always loved to swim from since before I could remember, but didn't have any formal training and there was never a local swim team for me to join. Nonetheless, I've always enjoyed both the pool and the open water, and I've always been inspired by my dad who for years swam out in the open river by his office during his lunch breaks.

    Around 2015, as part of my initiative to get more fit, I signed up for the 800 m Swim Miami, which they hold every year in Biscayne Bay. I was immediately taken by the experience, from the chaotic beginning and not knowing if I could finish, to the pride and exhilaration the moment you cross the finish line and that wonderful endorphin rush that you get afterwards.

    Since then I've participated in 8 subsequent open water events. So far they've all been in Florida, whether it be in Biscayne Bay for Swim Miami, the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. I can't say I've been blowing the field away--I always seem to finish in the middle of the pack and never really done better than third in my age group, but as I've said, everyone has to have some hobby that they love doing, regardless of whether or not they are really good at it. And for me, that's open water swimming.

    Besides signing up for a few more mile events next year, my long term goals might be something more ambitious in the way of a 5 or 10 k, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim, or even the Tiburon Mile if I have the guts. I just love the emotional rush I get after every event, and look forward to doing it as long as I can.

    evmothelittlemerwookieCopelj26rlmSoloIronMikekipariz
  • MalcolmMalcolm Brisbane, Australia Member

    I trust this finds you all well.

    My name is Malcolm Cockburn and I'm 56 years young. After serving 35 years in the Australian Defence force, Army, the Royal Australian Regiment, as an Infantry Soldier, I decided it was time to separate (in 2016) and enjoy life. To help me separate from Military Life I decided to start swimming again. I have always swum and enjoy the ocean and pool, I joined Grimsey Adult Swim fit to start adjusting to civilian life. After some squads, Trent Grimsey said that I could swim the English Channel with some training, so a plan was hatched, I thought it was a great idea to give me a goal for separating, I had no Idea what was just about to happen to me.

    Ocean swimming now consumes most of my life in a good way, I have never been healthier and felt better, the friends I have made and continual to make around the world has help me adjust and I’m fitter that I have been for years. I completed solo English Channel on 9 Oct 2016 and Cottesloe to Rottnest Island 24 Feb 2018 and now attempting to swim the 20 Bridges and Catalina Channel between in Aug 2019.

    I now do part time work in the Adventure Business as the Operations Manager, Medic and Assistance Guide, for Adventure Excellence.

    Other adventures I have done are:
    • Kokoda Track (Pupa New Guinea) 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018;
    • Everest Base Camp (Nepal) 2015, 2016 and 2018
    • Assisted Jelle Veyt, Vayamundo 7 Summers of Happiness, Rowing from Banyuwango to Samawa Seaside Cottage 500km (Indonesia) 19 May to 6 Jun 2017;
    • Mt Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) 2015;
    • Coordinated and managed the “Tribute to the ANZACs” run and kayak from the tip of Australia to the Southeast corner of Tasmania (Australia) 2015;
    • Kuala Than/Kuala Juram (Malaysia) 1995.

    I would love to swim the 20 Bridges if possible before my Catalina Channel swim and hopefully achieve the Triple Crown in 2019, also swim the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz while in America. The logistics of coming all the way from Australia which I was hoping I could coincide with all the swims.

    I train with Trent Grimsey, Grimsey Adult Swim Fit and Andy Budgen, Pursue Triathlon Club throughout the week and on weekends both in the pool and ocean.

    Completed recent and less recent solo marathon swims

    2018
    29 Jul, Magnetic Island to The Strand, Townsville, Australia (7.7km, 2hr 29min)
    13 Jul, Shorncliffe Pier to Woody Point, Brisbane, Australia (8km, 2hr 12min)
    24 Feb, Cottesloe to Rottnest island (19.1km, 6hr 14min)
    10 Feb, Snapper Rocks to Currumbin, Gold Coast, Australia (7.3km, 2hr 28min)
    27 Jan, Enoggera Reservoir, Brisbane, Australia (5km, 1hr 54min)
    21 Jan, Snapper Rocks to Currumbin, Gold Coast, Australia (8.4km, 2hr 52min)

    2017
    25 Nov, Snapper Rocks to Currumbin, Gold Coast, Australia (7.3km, 1hr 59min)
    12 Nov, Snapper Rocks to Currumbin, Gold Coast, Australia (6.6km, 1hr 55min)
    19 Sep, Snapper Rocks to Currumbin, Gold Coast, Australia (8km, 2hr 36min)
    5 Aug, Enoggera Reservoir, Brisbane, Australia (6.89km, 2hr 24min)
    22 Jul, Open Water Challenge, Philippines (4km,
    30 Apr, Red Carpet event, Burleigh Heads to Surface Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia (10km, 3hr 9min)
    12 Feb, World Series Swims Aust, Noosa, Australia(5km, 1:25:37.5)

    2016
    9 Oct, English Channel, United Kingdom (44km, 15hr 36min)
    28 May, Red Carpet event, Burleigh Heads to Surface Paradise, Gold Coast, Australia (10km, 3hr 12min)

    Cold water experience
    2016 and 2017 National Cold-Water Swim Camp, Melbourne, Australia is a 4-day ocean swimming training day and night from 1 hr to a 7 hr qualify swim in under 16C water temp.
    I will also be attending the 11-14 Apr 2019 National Cold-Water Swim in Melbourne Australia.

    Thank you in anticipation of your response & here’s hoping I am able to complete these great swims in one trip.

    Regards
    Malcolm Cockburn
    ADVENTURE/OCEAN SWIMMER
    OPERATIONS MANAGER
    Solo English Channel Swimmer, 2016
    Solo Rottnest Island Swimmer, 2018
    Email: malcolm_r_cockburn@hotmail.com
    International: (+61) 413 275 275

    gregorywannabeSolo
  • Afternoon all,

    After at least 2 years lurking around the forum I thought I should finally get around to posting something. Im based up in the north of England and have been swimming open water for about 8 years now. Over the past couple of years I've finally made the transition away from neoprene. Primarily as wetsuits cost money and I'm (in)famously frugal.

    I've done Windermere a couple of times, and had been looking for a new challenge. Ideally I like to look at new routes, as I enjoy the logistics and tidal planning. I've always said that I'd hate the concept of a channel swim. The thought of leaving all the planning to someone else and just breathing diesel fumes for 10+ hours never appealed.

    But...

    For some foolish reason I thought a North Channel attempt in 2020 sounded like a good idea. So if anyone has any specific advice I'd be grateful. Speed and distance aren't a major concern, but any experiences in terms of specific cold water training for the North Channel would be great. I have access to the (gloriously murky) North Sea and am in there weekly at present.

    Cheers,

    Tom

    evmothelittlemerwookieJaimierlmJustSwimSoloCopelj26
  • Malcolm said:

    Hi Malcolm. Do you know, or have you come across Michael Miller at all?

    gw

  • miklcctmiklcct London, United KingdomMem​ber

    First, Merry Christmas to everyone here!

    I'm currently based in Hong Kong, and have just started serious swim training this year. I primarily identify myself as an orienteer - participated in TrailO world championship last and this year, and originally just used swimming as a kind of cross training.

    When I was in high school, I read the book by Lynne Cox, the ice curtain breaking swim from the U.S. to the Soviet Union was a truly inspirational story. Later, I read about Lewis Pugh swimming at the North Pole - "it shouldn't be possible to swim at the North Pole at the first place!"

    I have also read about English Channel stories, and I find those are truly amazing feats that I can only dream of. (I also like to read stories about climbing the Everest - but those are different. The fact that if one goes wrong at 8000+ altitude is equal to waiting to die without any rescue possibility alone already scares me to death. Dying on the Everest is certainly a painful way to die.)

    But all the above are only dreams. I grew up without any competitive swimming background - not even any competitive sports background. That's to say, I don't even have any athletic talent, only competitive programming talent (I got prizes in International Olympiad in Informatics in high school, and in ACM/ICPC regional contests in university).

    When I was in university, there was a triathlon master swimming team - however the training there required CSS 2'20" to join - I couldn't even meet this requirement and couldn't join any training as a result. After graduating, I moved away from my university and couldn't find any good master swimming team, therefore didn't get any good process. It was only October this year I moved back to somewhere near my university again, and joined the triathlon master swimming team afterwards (but only partially - the endurance session requires 2'0" interval, which I still can't do).

    I started tracking my 1500 m pool time (LCM) May this year, but had only a very little improvement - from the initial assessment 35'9" in May to 31'42" in November (but returned to 34'20" in December). I targeted 30' this year but couldn't make it. I watched a lot of videos and tried to work on the specific points, but I couldn't bring my stroke count down to the appropriate level no matter how I tried.

    I also started joining an open water group summer this year (previously I couldn't even meet their speed requirement), and swim every Saturday (as long as no other competitions which take precedence for me). Before this year, my longest swim was a 2.6 km competition. However, on one day, the 2.4 km group training was secretly lengthened to 3 km - only to be announced when we crossed the finish line! Afterwards, a 3.7 km competition, which I was originally not available, was rescheduled due to weather and reopened for registration - I signed up, completed it, and wanted to do more afterwards! I started to do longer training swims, 5 km earlier this month, and 10 km yesterday, but the jump yesterday was too much for me without long distance training before, and I was feeling my body breaking down after 8 km, and struggled in the last km. I will return to around 5 - 7 km maximum in the meantime.

    However, speed IS a major problem for me. My current speed means I don't even have a tiny bit of chance making the cut-offs for longer competitions (the nearby longer (5 km or more) races mention "for advanced swimmers only" and have cut-off times which exceed my ability, and I am certainly NOT an advanced swimmer), and I will need those longer competitions to prepare for the ultimate challenge.

    I just want to swim faster by technique improvement, but my club is currently at winter break so I need to wait until I can book a video analysis session. And one major problem for me is that I don't have any friends to motivate me - a lot of my orienteering friends do running and kayaking, but very few do sailing and I can't find anyone who do swimming (a lot of my friends can't even swim - despite we are in a coastal city). Without speed, my dreams cannot become reality. Although I current have access to a good unheated pool and a magnificent coastline, I absolutely need more encouragement and support during the winter time for me to improve before it becomes too hot to swim in summer!

    JSwimSolorlm
  • AkweAkwe Oxfordshire, UKMember

    Hello.

    After a few years swimming for the dark side, I switched to skins during 2017.

    Over the last 18 months I have taken part in a range of events including many of the BLDSA swims. The highlight of the last year was completing a length of Loch Lomond in August.

    Currently I'm enjoying my winter swimming but also starting to build for next year. During 2019 I plan to focus on longer events (typically 10 miles+) and drop the shorter swims I have completed over the last few years.

    rlmflystormsSolo
  • Paul_RollasonPaul_Rollason Falmouth, CornwallMember

    Hi All
    I am new to swimming as I only learned to swim in August 2018. In September I competed in a 1K race and didn't come last so I was really pleased with that result.
    Any sport I do such as running or cycling I always gravitate towards long distance and this is what I aim to do with swimming.
    I have a couple of events planned for 2019 including a 10 mile swim from Truro to Falmouth.
    At the moment I split my time swimming in the sea and the pool and swim about a mile at a time, three times a week. I would be interested in advice on how I can ramp up my milage without getting bored or overtraining.
    I am thinking of breaking up my swims with one long swim a week (milage builder) one session where I concentrate on drills etc and one speed session.
    We have a few rivers around here of varying lengths from 2 miles upto and beyond 10 miles and I am thinking of swimming each of them in turn increasing the distance each time.
    It would be interesting if there were other distance swimmers near to me in Cornwall UK. It is always nice to swim with others.
    I look forward to getting to know you guys over the coming months and hopfully I will get to swim with some of you.
    Paul

    rlmthelittlemerwookieSoloSpacemanspiffwendyv34
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    Welcome all, especial welcome to @miklcct from another orienteer, although I am simply a "walk with the kids" orienteer. ;)

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • miklcctmiklcct London, United KingdomMem​ber
    edited January 2019

    IronMike said:
    Welcome all, especial welcome to @miklcct from another orienteer, although I am simply a "walk with the kids" orienteer. ;)

    I have a very ambitious goal, which I'm not sure if this is realistic - to do the EC. The earliest concrete plan to do this is:

    • build up my endurance to 15 km this year, and do the Cold Half in 2020 (solo non-wetsuit)
    • Once this is done, book a place for the challenge in 2021, and maintain my training at 15 km level throughout 2020
    • My full-time job yearly contract ends in October. By October 2020, change my full-time contract into part-time, and increase the amount of swimming training, eventually reaching channel level in January and February 2021, the only months in the year in Hong Kong with channel temperature.
    • Apply for a working holiday in Sweden, departing in April or May 2021 to stay in a coastal city (e.g. Stockholm), with intense training, while being a part-time programmer there. That year of working holiday will be my only change to bring my trail orienteering to a world-class level because all of world class trail orienteering competitions are in Europe (except the world championship in 2020 which will be in Hong Kong - this is a major reason I won't leave until 2021), and the only chance for me to experience winter sports, like ice swimming and ski orienteering, as these can't be done in Hong Kong obviously.

    However, all the above may just be daydreaming, but I have already set a concrete challenge to myself which is compatible to the plan above.

    My challenge is to complete my first marathon swimming race before March 2020.

    My expected training mileage is about 10 - 12 km per week in this season, gradually increasing to 15 - 20 km later this year in a normal working week. However, I have done 17 km last and 15 km this week due to holidays.

    SoloIronMike
  • BogdanZBogdanZ Bucharest, RomaniaSenior Member
    edited January 2019

    @Errrwin said:
    So. Looked up info (need to qualify with a 10km under 2:45) and turned to my schedulefriend again who made another (asskicking) schedule and I started training again: 4 times a week. Short endurance on Monday, speedwork on Wednesday, recovery/technique on Friday and long endurance on Sunday. Around 12-15km a week until the 10km qualifier with main focus on speed without neglecting endurance -which is my strong point- of course.

    i reckon for solo and international, there's no need to respect that 2:45.

  • vicmacvicmac Czech RepublicMember

    Hi all,

    I am joinnig this forum becaouse I am looking for some advices to get myself to the 5k-10k swimm. I am 43, I am from Czech Republic, former triathlete and marathon runner and I decided to focus on swimming this year. I am still rookie and I am training for 3 times per week (about 6 km) and need to improve my freestyle. Much work ahead :-)

    Bye Viktor

    miklcctevmoFlowSwimmersthelittlemerwookierlmSoloIronMikeMLamby
  • dementeddemented Member
    edited January 2019

    Hey I'm new, obviously. Couldn't make a post, turns out I have to make a comment first. I like water.
    Edit: Apparently I still have to wait to be able to make new thread. I'm not sure about marathon, but I do like to swim and I i have some questions about really cold water and weather. As in, icicles forming on my hair as I was swimming and splashing around today, hands were sticking to the metal ladder as i was trying to climb out. I was looking through internet for some people or communities who could give me advice regarding to these sort of things and this forum is as close as I could find.

    Solo
  • miklcctmiklcct London, United KingdomMem​ber
    edited January 2019
    > @demented said:
    > i have some questions about really cold water and weather. As in, icicles forming on my hair as I was swimming and splashing around today, hands were sticking to the metal ladder as i was trying to climb out.

    What's the air and water temperature?
  • matteomalcematteomalce malcesine vr italyMember

    hi,
    i'm Matteo from Italy.. after 10 years of triathlon i will training only for swimming..
    in August my first attempt in 26 km swim in zurich..
    ciao

    evmothelittlemerwookieSoloBogdanZFlowSwimmersIronMikerlmMLambyPasquale
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    Welcome to our February new members!

    @coble2000, @jessgerber, @jasonsibert, @georgiaswims, @Dean, @EyalSch, @jmcgarity, @KBorczak, @mikenz, @xelonas, @annaptasznik, @ntodd72, @Damian87, @sawtun, @SwimBrothers1, @Alangordonnow, @Tasik, @suet

    Please introduce yourselves if you're inclined.

    Copelj26thelittlemerwookierlmIronMikeMLambynooravalkonen
  • fclavijofclavijo MexicoNew Member

    Hi everyone! I'm new here, just registered to make a small announcement. I will be on holiday in Tarifa this summer, from July 26th to August 07 2019, so if anyone needs a pacer or a hand in crossing the Gibraltar Straits I would be happy to come with.
    I will be 47 yo at the time, and have been swimming nearly every day for almost 30 years. I have done long courses, 10km and recently 5km and 6km, at an average speed of 3-3.5 km/h.
    Good to meet you all, very inspiring crowd.
    All the best,
    Fernando

    FlowSwimmersIronMikeSoloMLambyGlobalSwimmerBridgetpavlicov
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